Fallen
by MrsKurosaki x
Summary: She could only watch as his hands clawed mercilessly at the ground beneath his body and listen to his cries as they echoed throughout the isolated underground. IchiRuki.
1. Rising Threat

**Disclaimer**: I do not own BLEACH.

**Fallen**

**Chapter I**

· Rising Threat ·

* * *

_I watched helplessly as he thrashed and twisted on the murky surface._

_I could only watch as his hands clawed mercilessly at the ground beneath his body and listen to his cries as they echoed throughout the isolated underground._

_Several shinigami surrounded him, all of them keeping a safe distance away. I glared holes into their backs. _

_A penetrating scream caused him to throw his head back. He pushed himself off the ground only to have his right arm give out. He fell on the ground with a harsh thud and twisted to roll onto his side, clutching his burning wrist. His eyes squeezed shut and he panted heavily._

_He screamed again._

* * *

"I wish I could help you…" Whispered Rukia as she watched him pant and groan from afar. Her fingers touched the cool glass that separated her from the man she loved and needed to comfort. He threw himself on his back and snapped his head towards her direction, his breathing was heavy and sweat dripped off his face. Another scream and his spine arched into the air. She clenched her small hands into fists against the barrier.

_Ichigo…_

She felt a large hand fall onto her shoulder.

"Renji."

The said man didn't look surprised at her tone. He knew she stayed in the twelfth division all day and all night since they had brought Ichigo in. He knew that she was scared that Mayuri would put him under the knife for his own research, despite the order not to even open the cell. She had been extremely protective. But it had also tired her out.

"Your brother has ordered me to take you home."

"I'm not-"

She was interrupted by another scream. Her heart clenched as he growled like an animal and twitched on the cold floor.

"Yes, you are. Guards are gonna to on watch twenty-four seven, come on." He expected her to follow him out.

She didn't move from her position.

He sighed. "Rukia, only captains have permission to enter the cell or stay here for over forty-eight hours. Yamamoto-sou taicho is aware of Kurostuchi, that's the reason of the Patrol Corps supervising the area."

"I know, Renji. I just… wish to stay here."

"This is the detainment sector, vice-captains are not allowed here for over a day." He softly tugged on her shoulder. With a sigh, Rukia pushed herself off the glass and with one last look at strong-willed man she whispered, "I love you."

"Let's go."

* * *

"The lab results show no brain trauma or serious physical damage. He is not in any life-threatening condition but he has been same state for two and a half days. His movements have now gradually decreased and he is now only restrained by the kido binds." A man with a white lab coat looked at the papers in his hand as he spoke smoothly. "Our scientists do not know how the venom entered into the blood stream but it is not lethal, otherwise he would have been long dead."

"When will he wake up?"

"We predict that he will finally wake in two or three days. For now he is in a slight coma."

Yamamoto's face was stern, hard. This was the fourth victim of whoever or whatever attacked in six days. The former three had not made it.

"Do know whether it is contagious?" Soi Fon asked.

"We highly doubt that it could spread to other shinigami. The situation has been caused by unusual attack or poison from the enemy. So far, none of the twelfth division members have shown similar symptoms to Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Is there any other information?"

"No, we are still collecting data. Do not worry, he will not be harmed," the scientist's gaze turned to Rukia, who was standing behind Ukitake. The woman had stayed by the cell, stubbornly preventing him to go into the operation lab, and had been particularly protective of the orange-haired man within the eerie room. Rukia caught him with an unreadable expression but glared at him coldly. He frowned as he was dismissed.

"Very well. Anything we learn from this incident shall be informed at the next meeting. This does not mean that you are to slack of your duties. I expect you to be present at the next meeting. Dismissed."

Rukia could hear the murmuring of captains and vice-captains as they made their way out of the hall. The shinigami had brought Ichigo from a fight in the world of the living. A group of unidentified people had decided to go on a killing rampage in the south of Hokkaido and travelling through the Tohoku prefecture to Tokyo. Unfortunately, Sereitei had yet to find out their current location. They moved fast. Since the first attack in Hokkaido, there were sixteen killings altogether and one victim who had, by some miracle, survived. The said victim was Ichigo…

"Kuchiki-san? Are you alright?" Rukia jumped slightly as a soft voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Hinamori-san! Yes, of course. Why do you ask?" Rukia turned look at her friend.

"You look tired." She would of grinned at the tone Hinamori used, as if she had explained the most obvious thing in Soul Society, if only she was in the mood.

"I'm fine, no worries." Momo didn't look convinced. The brown haired lieutenant bit her lower lip

"Are you sure? I honestly think you should get some rest, Kuchiki-san…"

"You're starting to sound like Renji or Nii-sama, you know."

Momo rolled her eyes. "You have friends who care, Kuchiki-san," her tone softened, "Kurosaki-kun will be fine." She placed a comforting hand on the smaller woman's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. Rukia's gaze shifted angrily to the floor as she clenched her fists. She suddenly burst out.

"Why does everybody say that? How can you be so sure? How do you know he'll be the same when- _if_- he wakes up, huh?!" Her violet eyes were burning.

"Kuchiki-san!" Her head snapped up at the sound of Hinamori's kind voice being raised several octaves higher, and it being directed at her. "You have to believe in him! What good will negative thinking like that do? What Kurosaki-kun say? I know you are stressed, but seriously…" Her determined eyes bore into Rukia's wide ones. A ghost of a smile appeared on the raven-haired shinigami but it disappeared just as quickly.

'_Geez, midget. I thought you had a bit more faith in me. Did you honestly think something like that bring me down? Psh, Dumbass…"_

That would be something Ichigo would say if he saw her right now. A nervous wreck. Then he would smirk and tell her it was okay…

"You're right. I shouldn't be thinking about the bad things, Hinamori-san. It's definitely not like me, thanks." The raven haired woman gave out a small smile.

The other girl grinned. "You're welcome."

* * *

Orihime, Uryu and Chad grew increasingly uneasy as they sat in silence at Urahara's Shoten. The tea they had been offered remained untouched as they waited for Yoruichi to show up with any news from Soul Society. Renji, who had been sent on a mission before the meeting sat next to Chad. Isshin and Urahara sat with them.

"Oh come on! There's no use in being all scowly like my idiotic son!" Isshin beamed as four different coloured head shot up. "He's gonna be fine, he's papa's boy!"

"Whoever said I was thinking of that moron?" Ishida, who was holding Orihime's hand raised an annoyed brow. Just sitting with the man irritated him.

"I never said thaaaat!" Isshin grinned as he waved his index finger two centimetres from the Quincy's face.

'_Remain calm, Uryu. Remain calm.'_ He felt veins threatening to pop in his head as Isshin ranted about idiotic things. _'Keep yourself calm. Composed, just keep it cool…' _Several minutes passed and he felt his sanity slipping away as the crazy man continued to talk endlessly… until…

"….maybe he has some special _feelings _towards Ichigo, ne? Too bad, though, ICHIGO IS ALREADY TAKEN! Sorry, Ishida, he's not gay-"

Ishida lost it.

"Don't you have any respect! I'M MARRIED!"

Isshin grinned.

"Uryu…" Orihime said softly as she placed her hand on her husbands arm. She leaned in to give a peck on the cheek to calm him down.

Uryu leaned back, "I have no idea how Kurosaki keeps up with him without actually killing him..." He closed his eyes to settle down. Orihime smiled and massaged his arm. At that moment Yoruichi stepped into the room.

Renji, who had been sniggering and receiving glares form Ishida immediately spoke up. "Any news?"

Yoruichi shook her head as she sat down beside Urahara. "He's calmed down with his thrashing and they reduced the restraint to simple kido binds. He should be waking soon."

"But he's going to be alright, right?" Orihime asked with concern showing in her gray eyes.

"We will find out once he's woken up."

All four of them sighed.

* * *

Rukia twirled the white-gold band on her finger. She smiled every time she looked at it. It had perfectly cut diamonds encircling it like pebbles, the colour of them changing from crystal clear to a beautiful shade of light blue towards the largest diamond in the middle, it had violet highlights in it.

She had decided to finish any new paperwork, whish wasn't much considering that she always completed straight away it whenever she found any on her desk. As she was going through another list of equipment for the division, she paused to admire the ring, she smiled again.

Then her thoughts immediately went to Ichigo. Her brows creased in worry as she remembered the way he twitched and hissed when she had last visited him. She was given permission from her captain to go to the cell the next day.

The problem was that she wanted to go _now_.

Apparently, they were still trying to figure out what had caused Ichigo's condition. All they knew was that he came in touch with the same venom that had caused all the other deaths. They desperately tried to keep him alive as he survived longer that the other shinigami, so that they could solve the mysterious case of the attacks and possibly put an end to them.

It had all started when Ichigo along with Rukia and Renji had been sent on another mission to find any tracks in an area where three unseated shinigami had been killed. They came across a small house in the woods with a young couple living in it.

_All three of them were surprised to find out that the couple were spiritually aware. The woman had slightly a paler complexion than her husband. She had waist length dark red hair (darker than Renji's) and wise dark blue eyes. She was very slim, almost skinny, and was a few inches taller than Rukia. She had a kind but cautious expression on her face. _

_Her husband was large and very muscular, he looked like he could pick up a tonne without a sweat. He had dirty blonde hair cut very short and his emerald eyes held looked as though they held many secrets. He lightly scratched his goatee._

"_We haven't had any visitors for a while. How can we help?" Asked the woman._

_Renji temporarily speechless from the casual tine of her voice. "…You… uh… You're not… surprised by us?"_

_The woman blinked. "Oh, well, there has been quite a few shinigami running around here lately. Although, we haven't seen any higher ranks before…" She said eyeing the three of them._

_All three of them raised their eyebrows._

_She laughed lightly. "My apologies, we have not introduced ourselves, my name is Emma Takuya and this is my husband Mike Takuya." They all shook hands but Ichigo couldn't help but ask._

"_Those names-"_

"_Both of us are from England." Mike explained vaguely._

"_Oh."_

"_Well, anyways. Whactha doing here?" He asked._

"_We are here to investigate and hopefully find any clues as of where the killers of the recent shinigami that had been sent here are currently located." Rukia said, since the two idiots she was with were in a train of thought. "Have you seen anything strange around this area?"_

_Emma look didn't look surprised "Killings?" Rukia nodded and the woman looked at her husband._

"_We've only seen footsteps in the depths of the forest, it could have been anyone." Mike shrugged, "however, the other day, when Emma and I were taking a walk in the evening, we heard scream coming from the east…."_

And that was where they started searching. They spent a week there and on the last day, Ichigo was nearly killed. They had been with Inoue, Ishida and Chad at the time where they ended up underground in the subway. Inoue attempted healing him but Ichigo shoved her away like an animal, although she didn't know where to heal. That's when the other shinigami arrived for back up but were too late.

The group didn't know who it was because none of the enemies had shown their face and were too fast for either of them to catch one.

Rukia's eyes started to close slowly, she glanced at the clock and her eyes widened. She stood up from her desk and set the papers aside.

Although she wasn't looking forward to sleeping alone again, her body desperately needed some rest.

_________________________________________________________________

**A/N**

_So how was that, folks? Like it? Hate it?_

_I got the inspiration for this story when I was watching a scene from Twilight (damn, I got hooked) and started making lots of scenarios in my head of Bella and Edward with their positions switched. Two days later I found myself typing madly at my laptop, I needed the idea out of my head. _

_I liked the start of this chap but I feel as though it became rushed towards the end. Sorry for any mistakes, I don't have a beta and I proof read by myself._

_PLEASE REVIEW! YOUR OPINION MATTERS!! IT GETS MY MOTIVATION RUNNING =]_


	2. Gonna Be Fine

**Disclaimer: **I do not own BLEACH.

**Fallen**

**Chapter II**

· Gonna be Fine ·

* * *

Rukia sighed and rolled over again. She lifted the bed cover to her chin and snuggled her head into the pillow. Cracking an eye open, she looked at the clock that stood on her nightstand.

2:47 am.

She groaned irritation as she flopped onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She could not sleep. She wasn't sure whether it was from the stress she had to undergo recently or that she was too used to having Ichigo sleeping beside her.

'_Probably both.' _she thought. It was the third night without him or any decent slumber and their house felt unusually empty...

The raven haired woman shuffled her body to the other side of the bed. Burying her face in his pillow, she breathed in his soothing scent.

'_I should be somewhat used to this_.' She mused. He still had to go on missions that could be several days long and she hated it. But Yamamoto wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly after the war, so he took it out on the captains, even though it had been ten years since the war come to an end.

Or maybe it was the fact that she knew that her fiancé was in pain and locked up in the Twelfth Division by himself. In a cell.

She let out a long breath. She tried many times to go to him but it was all in vain. The guards only let captains through and unless she was with one, all access was denied. Only tomorrow -_today _- she was allowed to go to him.

Rukia looked at the empty space of the bed.

She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth to stop herself from crying.

* * *

Mike sighed as he stared at the tiny droplets hitting the window harshly.

"Raining again…"

* * *

Orihime and Uryu Ishida strolled hand in hand down the path in the early morning. A light February breeze picked up, swirling leaves at their feet as they trudged along. Orihime wrapped herself in Uryu's jacket as the cold air lightly flew against her skin. The hand that was clasping hers slid its way around her waist while the other held the leash for their dog.

This was their routine. They would go out for walks three or four times a day with their dog, the first one being in the morning when the sun shone brightly and set a happy glow around Karakura Town.

They have married for only two and a half years. The war had ended when they were seventeen and when Ishida finally asked the big question, Orihime accepted. They were twenty-five at the time and the war had changed a lot.

A lot of people were surprised that the couple had gotten married before Ichigo and Rukia. Although that was because Byakuya had finally given them their blessing only recently. After years of dating, Ichigo had proposed to Rukia and were to be married off in Spring.

"So when is Kurosaki-kun's and Kuchiki-san's wedding?" Asked Orihime as she listened to the birds while they chirped happily.

"Twenty-second of April, if I'm not mistaken. You can never be sure with that moron and his lack intelligence." He sighed humorously.

Orihime giggled into her mouth, "don't say that Uryu! Kurosaki-kun is a very clever person. He was, after all, a doctor like you." Ishida smirked as she defended his friendly rival and snorted when Yumi, their dog, seemed to bark in agreement.

"Aren't you meant to be on my side?"

The dog stuck its tongue out and jumped on its hind legs.

Uryu shook his head.

Orihime laughed and crouched down to scratch their pet behind the ear.

"Kurosaki-kun mentioned that he is going to buy a dog, too."

His wife shrugged, "Although I have never seen one there before. He said that he was going to buy it here and just take to Soul Society if there are no pet shops there…" She said as she got up and dusted any non-existent dirt off her skirt.

Ishida chuckled and looked towards the sky, "what an idiot…" He replied and they resumed their walk together in silence.

"Has Kurosaki-kun woken up yet?" Orihime asked.

"I don't know, Yoruichi had confirmed that he is to wake up today… but she also said that there is a risk of Kurosaki having brain damage," Orihime gasped, "when he wakes up he may have amnesia…" Orihime's face contorted in concern and shock.

Ishida stopped walking and looked at his wife, not liking the sad look on her face, but he figured he probably had one on too. "Don't worry, Hime. I'm sure he will be fine. The tests haven't shown any confirmation to this."

The auburn haired woman looked down in worry, "I hope you're right. I really do…"

* * *

Rukia eagerly finished off the last form of the paperwork before quickly standing up. Her hands swiftly moved over her desk and set everything away tidily. She looked over to see any other paperwork that needed to be finished.

"Rukia! I figured you would be in here." The owner of a fatherly voice came walking into the room.

"Ukitake-taicho? Shouldn't you be resting?" She smiled while he chuckled warmly.

"Always worried about others…"

"It is my nature, sir."

"I assume you have finished all of the paperwork, including mine?" His normally warm expression was still in place but seemed to be suspicious.

"Hai." Her expression was self-satisfied and her smile held pride for herself.

"Rukia…" Ukitake sighed exasperatedly and lifted a hand to his forehead.

"Yes, sir?"

The captain shook head in disbelief. "Whatever am I going to do with you?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand, sir."

"First of all drop the formalities. 'Sir' makes me feel older than I really am." He sighed humouredly and looked at his vice-captain in worry, "you are going to overwork yourself, Rukia. I'm starting to get very concerned about you. Remember, health comes first."

Rukia shifted on her feet, "I know. I just want to get my mind off things." Her captain nodded understandingly.

"Just remember, if you even feel the slightest hint of fatigue, take a break! The work can wait, you do enough of it already…" The wise man looked at his subordinate, he could see the visible bags under her eyes and her face showed tiredness. She probably had not slept well.

"You are taking the rest of the day off."

Rukia eyes widened, "But-,"

"That is a command." He smiled and added a few words that would definitely convince her. "Go see your loved one." His eyes softened.

Rukia smiled brightly and her eyes sparkled in gratitude. "Thank you."

As soon as she exited her division, in a matter of minutes she found herself standing before the entrance of the Fourth Division.

"Kuchiki fuku-taicho," came the motherly voice of Unohana, "You are here to see Kurosaki-san, am I right?" Rukia nodded and wordlessly followed the healer to where Ichigo got transferred from the Twelfth.

"Has he woken yet?" The elder captain nodded softly. Everything was so graceful about this woman.

"Only for a few minutes. Fortunately, he had not lost his memory." Rukia couldn't stop the sigh of relief that had escaped her mouth.

"He is still asleep. He became a bit moody when we woke him up," she chuckled and Rukia rolled her eyes. _'He's always like that…' _She thought as they stopped in front of the doors to Ichigo's room. Unohana opened the door without any noise and gestured for Rukia to go in.

"Thank you, Unohana-taicho."

"Your welcome…" She said as she quietly left the couple.

The raven haired shinigami sighed and walked to the bed. Her mouth blossomed into a smile at his relaxed face and gingerly brushed a few strands of orange hair from his eyes. Her eyes were framed by a frown as she looked at him, he looked so vulnerable, laying there, all pale and tired. It wasn't the Ichigo she knew.

"Hey, you big idiot. Wake up." She whispered as her fingers pattered softly against his face. She tapped his slightly stubbly jaw. Slowly, the slightest tint of the amber she missed so much showed through his eyelids.

"Rukia…" He blinked as his eyes came into focus. Rukia exhaled in worry as she finally broke all the barriers from what she was feeling.

"Ichigo," she said softly with a voice that held relief, worry and love. "Oh, god. I'm so glad you're okay…" His eyes softened as she leapt onto him and held him tight. Without warning, she grabbed the top of his robes and kissed him, pouring all of her love for him and fear for him into it. He was surprised by her sudden action but kissed back. "They said that you might have amnesia but I'm so glad you don't. I thought you would never get out of whatever happened to you. Are you feeling well?" Ichigo nodded and caressed her head. He noticed she wouldn't look up and kept her face buried in his chest.

"Rukia, look at me," he titled her chin towards him, "I'm fine, I'm so sorry that I made you worry, this isn't like you…" he said softly and a few seconds later his cocky part reawakened and his eye twitched in realization, "Geez, midget. I thought you had a bit more faith in me. Did you honestly think something like that bring me down?" He complained and her tear stained eyes brightened.

Rukia couldn't help but laugh and shoved him playfully on the shoulder.

"What's so funny?" He asked as he drew circles on her back.

"Nothing," she whispered against his robes, "I just knew you were going to say something like that…" He rolled his eyes. After a few moments, Rukia's gaze softened again into a look of pain as she remembered his state a few days before, "but, still, I can't stop thinking about… it…" Ichigo tilted his head in a slight nod as his amber eyes drifted to the side.

"Yeah… that hurt a bit, I think I have bruises all over my body." He scrunched his nose in annoyance and looked at her still worried face.

Rukia ran her dainty fingers through his bright hair as she sat up, "what happened then, Ichigo?"

He let out a breath through his nose and buried his face into her silky hair. "One of those guys we where chasing came up from behind. I fell and felt enormous pain…" Rukia nodded softly and took his hand in hers, caressing it softly.

"Do you know where on your body he or she hit you?"

"No, I couldn't tell. It felt like my body was on fire."

"But you're not in any pain right, are you?" She touched his cheek as he lifted his head and noticed it was a little cold.

"No, not at the moment."

"You had us worried-"

"Psh, dumbass, not even Aizen could bring me down!" He grinned and it turned into a smile only reserved for her. "I'm fine, Rukia."

She nodded and pecked him on the lips, "I love you." She smiled back at him.

"I love ya, too." He replied and squeezed her smaller hand and brushed his lips against hers. She immeadtely opened up to deepen the kiss.

After they broke up he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. In return, she hooked her arms around his neck and snuggled her head under his chin and left small kisses along his jaw.

"YO, LOVEBIRDS!" The couple jumped at the loud voice but didn't move from their positions.

"Renji, must you be so loud?" Rukia groaned as she turned around so that her back was leaning on Ichigo. She placed her soft hands on Ichigo's larger ones when they moved to hug her around the waist from behind.

Orihime, Uryu and Chad came in shortly after. "Hey guys." Ichigo greeted and looked at them in confusion. "What are you all doing here?" Ichigo asked.

"Visiting you, of course!" Orihime chirped and the orange haired man looked over at Uryu with a smirk on his face.

"I came here only because Hime wished to. We were called to come to Soul Society by Yamamoto." Ishida replied.

"You're so whipped."

Ishida glared at him, "and you're not?" Ichigo glared back but smirked after, much to Uryu's annoyance.

Rukia shook her head and turned to Orihime since the men were already engaged in a conversation.

"We don't know why we were called. Since Kurosaki-kun is feeling better I think there will be a meeting about the attack, so we came to visit."

"I see."

Orihime looked at her close friends softly. "How are things here, Kuchiki-san? We haven't heard much from here." Rukia smiled as she got up from Ichigo's embrace and sat at the other end of the bed to talk.

"Nothing much really. Nii-sama and I have been going through the wedding preparation since Ichigo's schedule had been tight with all the applies for the Fifth Division." Orihime nodded.

"I see. Will you be transferring to the Fifth, Kuchiki-san?" Her friend asked as she pulled out a chair sat down.

Rukia grinned happily, "Yep, although it will be after the wedding. And Inoue?"

"Yes?"

"Please, just call me Rukia." She smiled. The whole time the two had been friends, they never called each other by the first name.

Orihime beamed and grinned back, "Of course! But only if you call me Orihime!" She replied happily. She looked at the ring on Rukia's finger and her eyes widened.

"It's so gorgeous!" She exclaimed.

"Orihime, you have seen it before and yet you always react the same." Rukia laughed.

"It's so pretty, it's like it has been made for only you!" Rukia smiled.

"Yours is very beautiful, too."

"Mm! I always smile when I look at it! Don't you, Rukia?"

"Definitely." The said girl replied as the diamonds glimmered in the light.

* * *

**A/N **

_Aw. So how was that? Sorry, I'm a sucker for romance. I know that the characters might be OOC (i.e. Ichigo and Rukia) but, hey, they're in love!_

_P.S- To the readers of __It's Not Over Yet__ and __The Life At Mashiba High __, SORRY but I'm taking a small break from them until I get any new ideas but I AM NOT abandoning them. I've edited the chapters of INOY on Word and I have yet to edit the second chap of TLAMH._

_PLEASE REVIEWWWW! Pretty pwease?_


	3. Odd

**Disclaimer: **I do not own BLEACH.

**Fallen**

**Chapter III**

· Odd ·

* * *

Two weeks later Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, Matsumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika found themselves going to the living world for a hollow hunt and small vacation. The first two settling in the Kurosaki household because Isshin launched himself at Ichigo's legs and threatened to never let go until Ichigo agreed to stay. Renji grudgingly went to Urahara's against his wishes, the Ishida's offered Matsumoto to stay at their house (although Uryu wasn't all too thrilled to have red bean paste covered salmon with honey and chocolate for dinner) and Ikkaku and Yumichika stayed at the Asano place.

Just like the old times.

"What's that scent?" Asked Ichigo as he let his arm dangle off the couch.

"Hm?"

"Something sweet, can you smell it?"

"I don't smell anything apart from dinner." Rukia replied, her head nodding towards the kitchen and Yuzu.

Ichigo shook his head and sniffed the air, his body leaning towards Rukia who was sitting on the chair beside the couch, flipping through a magazine. She eyed him as he came closer to her, sniffing the air around her.

"What are you doing?" She questioned.

Ichigo shrugged and let his head fall onto her collar. "You smell nice." He murmured against her neck.

Rukia tried to suppress a shiver as his breath tickled her skin, "are you feeling all right?" She looked at him as he lifted his head up. Setting the magazine down on the glass coffee table, she eyed the orange haired man.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked, rasing a brow.

"It's not everyday you tell me I smell nice." She replied simply, her eyes still locked with his.

He grinned lightly, "is it a sin to compliment my future wife?" He inquired jokingly. She shifted so that he was sitting on the recliner and she was settled on his lap comfortably. "No, I guess not." She grinned before kissing him on the lips. He smiled back as he deepened it. His mouth teased her lips before she opened up, diving his skill full tongue into her mouth-

"ICHIGOOO!"

"What?!" The man snapped and his father leaped over and held him in a headlock from above. Rukia grudgingly hopped off his lap giving him a chance to launch his fist at Isshin.

"IT'S DINNER TIME!" Yelled the crazy man as he flew into a wall. Ichigo yelled complaints as his dad sprang to life and threw his body at him, defying the laws of physics.

"Come on, you two…" Groaned Karin as she set the plates around the table, listening as father and son communicated. "Dinner will get cold." Ichigo growled as he got up and dusted off his pants, his stomach demanding food. Rukia, who was watching the whole time, smiled as Ichigo sat down next to her. She shook her head at their antics.

"Dig in!"

Dinner was even more livelier.

* * *

The orange haired man groaned as he fell on to his bed. "Stupid, insane, crazy, hyper old man…" He muttered into his pillow.

Rukia entered the room shortly after finishing washing the dishes with Yuzu. The rest of them decided to go out to walk off the heaviness of dinner. Rolling her eyes at Ichigo, she sat down comfortably at his old desk and started rummaging through her backpack.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked as he turned to his side and leaned on his elbow, eyeing Rukia as she pulled out something that looked suspiciously like paperwork and placing it on the desk.

She didn't bother look at him as she started writing, "Ukitake-taicho asked me to fill out some forms for the first division." She answered.

"On _vacation_?"

She sighed as she pulled out another paper, "Ichigo, we are still on a mission so this doesn't count as a vacation and I couldn't finish this off because I was taking care of you."

Ichigo rolled his eyes as he spoke. "I told you I could take care of myself, midget, but you wouldn't listen." He flinched as a pen made contact with his face. Glaring at her smirking face, he threw the pen right back at her but she caught it.

"Bitch."

"Idiot. It was my choice to stay with you. You can't take care of yourself without getting another injury."

"I had no injury in the first place!" He defended but rolled his eyes, knowing that he wouldn't win with her.

"I've been thinking about the meeting." Ichigo sat up and though back to the meeting before their departure.

_Captains were lined up in the meeting hall, murmuring amongst each other and waiting for the others to join. Ichigo, who was actually before time, fidgeted impatiently while he waited._

"_Kurosaki-taicho." The orange haired man turned his head to meet Unohana's kind eyes. _

"_Unohana-taicho." He replied just as formally, "how are you?" he asked. No matter how much he respected the woman, he always felt awkward with her. She was so damn _kind_. _

"_I am doing well, thank you, I came to ask you whether _you_are truly feeling alright. Yamamoto requested me to give you this medication if you are feeling in pain."_

_Ichigo blinked once as he received the bottle of pills, "yes I am fine, Unohana-taicho. If I may ask, why would Yamamoto ask for such trivial request?"_

"_He wants to keep the strongest warriors in check." Ichigo felt like rolling his eyes, but didn't. Because that would be _rude_._

"_Yeah? Well thank you anyway, Unohana-taicho." She gave a bow in return to his before returning to her position. Just then, Yamamoto's booming voice echoed through the room as all the captains lined up._

"_Good evening," he nodded, "we are gathered here to discuss the case of the mysterious killings of the shinigami that were sent to the world of the living." Ichigo paid no mind to the introduction of the meeting, he already knew what it was going to be about anyway. Right now all he could think about was the different smells that drifted through the hall. _'Sake…perfume,' _he sniffed_, 'sandalwood, chemicals,' _he scrunched up his nose, '_ugh, sweat, more perfume and… tea?' _He blinked. He discreetly glanced around to check in any of the other captains were looking at him. After all, they could think he was going crazy sniffing the air around him_.

"_Kurosaki-taicho." His head shot up to the front of the room as Yamamoto's voice bought him out of his curious thoughts._

"_Yes?"_

_He frowned at him for some reason. Although it was hard to tell from all this wrinkles covering his face, "You will be sent to the world of the living with five other comrades. You are to be on a look out for any unregistered reiastu and investigate any leads to the unidentified enemy, if nothing proves to be a threat or you find no leads then you are free to spend your time however you want. We will contact you for further instructions if necessary." Had the old man forgotten what exactly happened last time he was ordered to _investigate?

"_Yama-jii, is it a good idea to send Ichigo-san after he had just recovered?"_

"_I believe there is nothing wrong with it. This mission can also act as an vacation if Kurosaki is not feeling at his best." The old man looked at Kyoraku as he replied. His gaze then travelled to Ichigo._

_He knew the old man wouldn't take no as answer so he nodded. "When will we be leaving?"_

"_Five days from now. You can pick whoever you wish to accompany you. Eight people maximum."_

"_Yes, sir."_

"What about it?" He asked.

Rukia shrugged, obviously not going to talk much more about it any longer. Silence filled the room as the shinigami resumed in reading and signing sheets. Ichigo watched her while plopping himself onto his stomach comfortably.

Soon enough, thirty minutes passed and Rukia tiredly pulled out another sheet only to have her hand caught by another. She looked up at Ichigo questioningly. He was starting to doze off and Rukia threatened him not to disturb her.

"Come on," he said as he pulled her to him. He sat on the bed after lying her down, thankfully Rukia didn't protest. "Paperwork is boring."

"Ichigo… I need to finish-" She was silenced as his lips gently caressed her own.

"How about you and I do _something _tonight." He leered at her.

Rukia looked at the smaller stack of papers and at Ichigo, who had a mischievous glint in his eye, and gave in. "My, what do you have in mind?" She leered back. They both grinned as Ichigo lifted himself above her.

* * *

A few days later Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, Uryu, Chad, Matsumoto, Yumichika, Ikkaku and Renji met up at Urahara's. It was a hot day and the lot had nothing to do apart from watching out for any hollows. The girls and Yumichika suggested they go shopping but nobody budged from their shady spots in the shoten.

"Its too fucking hot…" groaned Ikkaku as he took another gulp of water. He frowned as he turned the open bottle upside down only for nothing to spill out.

The women had gone outside for girl talk while the men lounged lazily in the main room. Ichigo shifted uncomfortably on the floor so that the sun wouldn't get on his nerves. It irritated his skin like never before and he scowled at how thirsty he was feeling.

"Looks like someone's pissed off."

"Shut up, Renji." Ichigo growled. The three woman walked into the room while chatting happily about food recipes, gossip and men. Ichigo kept an eye on Rukia as she slowly walked over to him. For some reason he felt heavy she closer she came but… a strong desire washed over his body like an intense wave. He stiffened as he felt his body wanting to leap on her

Rukia looked at Ichigo and saw him staring at her with something akin to hunger in his eyes. His jaw was clenched and his body tense. His face was strained. She noticed that everybody in the room went quiet. Ichigo twitched.

'_What the hell is happening? My body feels heavy and my mind… isn't working straight! I need to calm myself. Shit!'_

"What's up with you, Ichigo?" Ikkaku asked as he watched the two.

All of a sudden Ichigo launched himself on Rukia.

Rukia let out a sudden gasp of surprise and pain as her body hit the floor. His eyes stared penetratingly in into her wide ones from above. He pinned her harshly to the floor and growled.

"I-Ichigo…"

"Kurosaki! Stop!

"Ichigo!" Renji yelled. Orihime sat there with eyes and fear as the men leaped on Ichigo to pull him of. Matsumoto watched as Renji flew into the wall and Ikkaku smashed into the table. Uryu managed somehow to get a hold of him but followed Renji's path.

Ichigo seethed and his darkened gaze wandered down her body. His blindingly white teeth shone through his firm lips as he grabbed hold of Rukia's neck. She inhaled quickly as her windpipe felt thoroughly pressured. "Wha-what is wrong-g with you?" One of her hands reached for his face and she looked into his bright liquid gold eyes, not the warm amber but bright, terrorizing gold. Her eyes watched as they darkened even more to a maroon colour. His mouth formed into a snarl and his canines became visibly longer and sharper.

Suddenly her hand lost contact with his orange hair. He watched fearfully as Renji, Uryu, Ikkaku and Yumichika held Ichigo back with much effort, pushing him onto the ground until he was lying on his stomach. They were all in their shinigami forms and Renji held his blade at her fiancé's neck.

Rukia, who was slightly dazed looked around the room. Broken wall, destroyed table and broken items. She felt something trickle down her head. Crimson liquid. Matsumoto, Orihime and Yoruichi and Urahara, who arrived when Ichigo jumped, were beside her in an instant.

"Rukia! Are you okay?" Asked Orihime worriedly.

"Rukia-san, you're bleeding!" Exclaimed Rangiku as she touched Rukia's bruised head. The raven-haired shinigami nodded at them but her eyes where glued onto a unconscious Ichigo who still had a blade pointed at his neck.

"Renji." She said firmly and the said man looked at her before glaring at Ichigo again. "Renji. Please remove your blade my fiancé's neck." She demanded as her violet eyes bored into Renji's angry ones.

"Are you serious?" His furious gaze shifted to Ichigo, "have you got any idea what just happened?"

"It wasn't him." Rukia said but that only fuelled Renji's anger.

"It wasn't him?! Rukia! He _hurt_ you! I knew that fucking hollow of his would make go insane-!"

"It wasn't his hollow." She replied angrily, Renji wasn't helping anything.

"Well that's fucking better, isn't it? He's gonna kill us all if we don't do anything with him," his twisted in disgust at the sight of the carrot top "they should just lock him up already, it'll do everyone good. Fucking bastard… its not the first time that thing had lashed out on us-"

He was cut off with a sounding slap, shocked, his eyes widened, "how dare you…" he looked down at to see a fuming Rukia before him, her face was down and covered by her dark bangs, she gritted her teeth as she spoke, "you have no right…to speak like that." She furiously looked up at him. "You have no idea how hard it is for him! That wasn't his hollow, Renji, and it had never been for eight years! So don't you have no right!"

Rukia shoved him away and knelt by Ichigo as the others backed away. His pale face was turned to the side and he was breathing heavily.

"Sorry, we had to knock him out." Said Uryu. He walked to his shocked wife.

Yoruichi and Urahara grabbed Ichigo by the arms and took him to another room.

"Tch. You're in love with a monster."

* * *

**A/N**

_I am so sorry to those who have been waiting for this chaptter! I know it took very long! It had been written on a different computer, and unfortunetely, I had to no access to that one until now. I am really sorry!_

_Ok. Guys, I got only a few reviews for the second chapter, I was a bit disappointed. If you didn't like something about then tell me through a review or PM, maybe I could fix it._

_So, a lot is happening here. Yeah, I know Renji was OOC but its for the sake of the story._

_**PLEASE REVIEW!**_


	4. Kyuuketsuki

**Disclaimer: **I do not own BLEACH.

**Warning: **Sort of Renji bashing. Swearing, maybe be typo's or mistakes.

**NOTE: **After this update I am leaving for a week so I won't be able to reply to reviews immediately. Sorry in advance! Keep in mind that I _will_ reply eventually.

**Fallen**

**Chapter IV**

· Kyuuketsuki ·

* * *

"_Tch. You're in love with a monster…'"_

"Idiot. I'm such… a fucking _idiot_." Sitting outside the shop, Renji leaned back against the wall and harshly hit his head.

"…_they should just lock him up already…" _

The red-head let out an frustrated sigh and his closed his eyes. Of all the things he could've said, he just offended his two close friends. He let go of his emotions and kept his mouth running with hurtful words. He saw the pain behind the fury in Rukia's eyes and he knew that after that she probably wouldn't speak to him for some time. His closed his eyes and let breath of anger escape his mouth.

How could he let go of his control like that? How could he hurt Rukia like that? How could talk he stab a knife in his friends back while he was unconscious?

Rukia's expression was engraved into his mind. He shook his head at his idiocy. He hadn't even considered how she felt. He thought about how hard it must be for Rukia to know that the one you loved was in agony and you couldn't stop it. She stood by Ichigo's side while he battled his hollow for years until he suppressed him completely. She was his pillar while he was weakened, his main support. She was the one helped him through his turmoil and pulled him through it. Giving him strength.

Renji sighed again. She had to stay strong for Ichigo. And she would not give up, she didn't before and she wouldn't now. Why did it still anger him? He finally convinced himself that he was over her and that was quite some time ago. Since she met Ichigo, his chances were destroyed and he knew it was too late. But over the years, he became happy that Rukia had someone she loved and was contented with, so he guessed it was just an instinct. "Damn it all…"

With a grunt, he pulled himself up and made his way back inside.

* * *

"Alright, it's written."

"You sure it's enough?"

"It will have to do. We don't have much time left."

* * *

"Ah, Abarai-kun! Have you finished wallowing in self disgust or do you need a few more hours?" Urahara chirped as he slid the door close behind him. Renji stood on the other end of the hallway and glared at the shopkeeper. "Urusai…"

Urahara, unaffected by the threatening glare at all hid his sly face behind his fan and walked to towards Rukia's room. "Hoi," Renji hesitantly called just as Urahara was about to turn. "Is…is Ichigo ok?" He reluctantly asked while he fidgeted with his bandana.

"A change of heart?" Urahara replied. Renji shot him a look.

"_He's gonna kill us all if we don't do anything with him…"_

The vice-captain looked away, ashamed. "Kuchiki-san is quite emotional at the moment, she would kick you out of the room or freeze you on the spot…"

"…"

"Do you plan to apologize?" The man on the other end of the dark hallway asked. The fan lowered to reveal his eyes. They gleamed as he spoke. "Such cruel words, very unlike you-"

"Will you stop fucking _rubbing it in_?"

"Do you plan on apologizing or not?"

* * *

Orihime! I'm fine!" Rukia gently pushed away the kind woman's hands away from her head. "I just hit myself, not crack my skull!" Inoue shook her head.

"You never know, Rukia-san, just let me heal you. I can't have you walking around with blood dripping from your head!" Orihime insisted. Rukia let a out an annoyed sigh and gave in, too tired to object any longer. She other woman immediately called out Shun Shun Rikka and it was over in less than two minutes.

"There." She smiled as she finished. Rukia nodded and gave a small thanks.

"Hey, we bought some tea!" Matsumoto announced as she and Yoruichi walked in. The group moved a different room since the other was partly destroyed. They sat on the tatami mats comfortably while the tea and biscuits were being passed around. Ikkaku and Yumichika grabbed as many of the sweet snacks as they could.

"Pigs."

"Shut it, Matsumoto."

"Pig?! I'm no such filthy creature! I wish to be a-"

"You're a friggin' peacock."

"Ne, Kuchiki-san, how are you feeling?" Urahara asked as he walked into the room. The three shinigami continued to argue while he took his seat beside Yoruichi and sipped some of the tea.

"I'm fine." She said bitterly. _'Something as little as that would never hurt me, seriously…'_ She thought as she glared into the golden brown drink in her cup, chocolate brown orbs entered her mind again.

Silence fell upon the room.

"What happened to Ichigo?"

Everybody turned to face Chad, Ichigo's best friend. He sat with his arms crossed and face thoughtful. Yoruichi cleared her throat. She and Urahara knew that they shouldn't tell them what was happening to Ichigo just yet, since they weren't so sure of it themselves. They needed to do more research and Ichigo was in a fragile state. _'Pale skin, a few degrees colder than a normal shinigamis…' _She thought herself.

"Ichigo is still resting, the leap put a large strain on his muscles…" She came up with. Urahara nodded.

"One thing we know for sure is that it definitely wasn't his inner self…" The group stiffened but said nothing and nodded. After a few silent moments, Rukia suddenly got up and stormed out of the room, her reiastu wavering dangerously.

Ikkaku watched as the woman left, "she's pissed…" Matsumoto nodded.

"Rukia-san!" Orihime called but Ishida held her hand in his, she gave him a questioning look but he merely shook his head.

The raven haired shinigami silently walked through the maze of corridors. Her fists were ready to lash out on anybody who stopped her. Her small feet stomped furiously against the floor while she went.

Nearly barging the door down, she furiously stepped outside and jumped onto the roof, only to have somebody there already.

"Rukia-"

"Leave, Renji." She icily ordered, her glare boring into his. The red-head gulped slightly and took a step forward. His maroon eyes were pleading as they stared into her cold ones.

"Listen to me, I'm re-

"I do not wish to speak to you."

"Rukia, damn it-"

"Leave me be."

"Rukia!"

The petite woman gritted her teeth in frustration, her slightly lowered head snapped up angrily. "You… you bastard." She fumed dangerously. "First you dare accuse him of losing it. Then you suggest they should lock him up in place away as if he's a mere animal! How dare show your face to me?! How dare you call him a monster!" She screamed, outraged. Renji was thrown back by the force of the punch that hit his face. Once he gained his balance, he threw an angry glare at her. Rukia breathed heavily, the pent up anger being released. She slowly let her fist fall to her side as she watched Renji.

"I guess I deserve that." He said, still glaring at her.

"You do, considering how much of an inconsiderate bastard you were…"

Renji spat out the blood that seeped into his mouth, "Look," he started, "I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't of said all of tha'." He said while he shifted. Rukia's face remained the same, icy and cross.

"Did you mean it?"

"…"

"Renji, did you-"

"No, they were all lies." He responded, looking her in the eye.

"Then why the hell did you say all those things?!" She snapped. "Why did you speak so heartlessly? Do you know how much those words _hurt_?! Ichigo has it hard already, you don't need to make it worse!"

"I don't know. I'm really sorry…. I guess, when he lost it and hurt you, I got mad…."

Rukia's eyes didn't waver. "Renji, I just hit myself in the head. _Get over it!_"

* * *

Renji made his way into the shop once again. After Rukia told him she forgave him, she told him that she needed to clear her mind and stayed on the roof. Avoiding getting kicked off the tiles, he swiftly left her in peace. Now he was walking towards where the rest of the company was, slightly nervous. Entering the room, he was met with a still, shallowly breathing body covered with numerous blankets.

"Ichigo…" He could see the mess of orange hair peaking from the sheets, "Damn," he muttered, he never knew it was that bad.

"Wrong room?" Came Yoruichi's voice from the doorway, "he's unconscious and don't bother asking. We have to wait until wakes up." She said, answering the same question that was asked by everyone. "The Ishida's, Matsumoto and Sado left. So did Madarame and Asayegawa. I take it you're staying here again, Freeloader-san?" She smirked at his annoyed expression.

"Shut it…" He grumbled. She laughed at him and left, leaving him to go to his own room.

-

Rukia sat on the roof watching the sun slowly fall asleep. Time flew by so fast that one minute she was with the girls chatting away happily about nonsense things and then the next worry consumes her as something wrong happens to her fiancé. She thought back to when he attacked her.

Those eyes… those terrorizing golden eyes, not warm amber or soft liquid gold.

Animalistic golden-yellow eyes.

Rukia grit her teeth and scowled fiercely.

'_Why does it always have to be him? Why can't this constant danger leave him alone?' _She asked herself angrily. The put her face into her hands and took deep breaths, a cool metal sensation came into contact with her cheek and she instantly put her hand to her eyes. The diamonds in the ring twinkled as she moved it around. On the inside of the ring were a tiny words engraved in the white-gold.

_The rain drags black sun down, but the rain dried by white moon_

Letting a smile appear on her face, she jumped down from the roof and gracefully landed on the ground below. Brushing any non-existent dirt from her thighs, she walked into the building and walked towards the room where Ichigo was.

"Urahara?" She said as confusion and concern fell onto her face. Urahara and Tessai were restraining a convulsing Ichigo. His body leapt into the air and twitched violently to the side. "Ichigo!" Rukia called and ran to the shaking body. She fell onto her knees and grabbed his shoulders, at that moment Renji burst into the room.

"What's wrong?!" He shouted while he panted, "Ichigo's reiatsu… suddenly shot up…" Urahara nodded.

"Ah, just hold him down while Tessai and I take care of it." The red-head complied and took hold of Ichigo's legs while Tessai took out a bottle of pills. He rapidly opened the bottle and took three tablets. With a grunt, he forced Ichigo's mouth open and shoved them down his throat while Urahara made sure it travelled down properly. A minute or so later, Ichigo calmed down and his body went limp. Rukia gently lay him down. "What was that?" She asked.

"We gave him medicine that would separate any unidentified reiastu that could of entered his body." A new voice entered the room and Yoruichi in her cat form sauntered over to them. "his body is not used to such so it rejected the medicine on instinct. We just gave him some pills to knock him out for a bit." She licked her paw.

Rukia nodded, "when will he wake up?" She inquired, hoping she could speak to Ichigo soon. Yoruichi shrugged as she looked at the resting body, "he took three tablets so he should wake up around midday tomorrow," Tessai answered.

"However! Seeing as Ichigo is as stubborn as a mule, he might wake up during the night." Urahara finished. "… Although he might be a bit sleepy…" Renji rolled his eyes at the obvious statement. Rukia smirked lightly at

"Can I take him home for the night?" She questioned hopefully, her hands taking hold of his colder one.

"I would advise he stayed tonight, just in case. We can prepare a bed for you if you like to stay with-"

"Yes. I would like that. Thank you." She immediately answered. Yoruichi smiled at the sight Rukia sitting over Ichigo. They were always so concerned when either of them got hurt, refusing to leave the others side. "I'm going to stay here…" she absent-mindedly said as she made herself comfortable. The others nodded and left room with Tessai going to get extra blankets and pillows. Rukia's eyes never the left the sleeping form. Her hands fiddled with his fingers as she sat waiting for him to wake up.

At some point, she fell asleep with her hand entwined with his. Urahara crept in, humming the Mission Impossible tune, with another blanket. He quickly draped it over Rukia's figure and turned the lights off. Grinning at the peaceful scene from behind his fan, he quietly slid the door shut. Yoruichi watched the whole thing in amusement from the hallway, "Ahh, young love!" He sang as they walked away. Yoruichi muttered something about him drinking too much caffeine before stepping into their room.

Several hours later, Rukia stirred slightly in her sleep. The sound of shuffling material drifted into her ears but she stubbornly tried to keep herself asleep. After a few moments of silence her senses slowly fell into the submission of slumber again, only to be reawakened once more. This time, violet eyes slid open somewhat, only a thin line of sleepiness shown. She slowly and groggily sat up, her eyes looking out the window, wondering if any wind was causing a ruckus in the night. A small groan whispered through the moon lit room. Rukia immediately turned to the half conscious body beside her. Ichigo's brow furrowed as he shifted and a cool hand was placed on his forehead. "Ichigo?" Rukia whispered. "Ichigo, wake up." His eyes blinked themselves open and for a moment, he looked afraid of his surroundings. "It's me, idiot." She said softly, her hand brushing against his slightly stubbly cheek. "Rukia…" He croaked, she winced at the gritty quality of his voice. "Rukia!" He breathed, quickly sitting up and crawling away from her. His amber eyes were glazed with fear and guilt as the evidence of sleep left his face. The memory of what happened before crashed into him like a ton of bricks.

"What-"

"Rukia, I'm so sorry," he brokenly whispered, regret dripping form his voice, "I'm so sorry I attacked you, I-" Slap! One moment she was nearly two metres away from him and the next, he was pinned against the floor by her lithe body.

"Shut up!" Rukia growled, not loudly enough for any one in the surrounding rooms to overhear but loud enough to get her point across, "Don't you _dare _apologize for something that you had no control over! Don't even try wallow in self pity because you know and I both know that it won't help anything." She glared down at him, her legs straddled his waist, preventing him to move away. She bough her hands to his face as he attempted to look to the side. "Look at me," he did, "It wasn't your fault, Ichigo. I know it wasn't your hollow. Whatever it was, now it's gone." She finished, her body relaxing slightly on his. She leaned down to give him a kiss to which he gladly returned.

"Thank you, Rukia, even though you didn't give me the chance to say anything." He gave a lop-sided smile, "I love you."

She gave a grin in return, "I love you, too. Let's go back to sleep." She looked at him in confusion as he rolled his eyes and groaned.

"I think I had enough sleep." He said, "frankly, I'm a bit tired of it." He bluntly stated. Rukia shook her head.

"The recent events took a toll on me, I'm going back to sleep." She replied and smirked at his pouting expression, she quickly turned away before he could do his pleading puppy dog eyes, to which she had a weakness to. "Come on, Ichigo." She said as she got under his covers, snuggling into the warmth. Ichigo grumbled but got into bed too, right away his arms pulled her closer to him and their legs became tangled in each others, Rukia sighed as she ducked her head into his chest, "I'm happy you're back…" She said. "Ah…" He responded, "me too."

"I was worried, you know," she whispered, her fingers tracing circles over the muscles on his torso, Ichigo shuddered in pleasure and pulled her hand away, entwining it in his own. "All of us were, no body could figure out what happened when you passed out. I wanted to help you so much, but didn't know how…." She murmured, his hand gave a gentle squeeze.

"I'm fine now, baka," he said solemnly but then looked guilty again, "I feel disgusted with myself…."

Rukia gave him a warning glance, "Ichigo, what di-"

"I hurt you… I lost it, _again_…"

"Ichigo!" She groaned, "you're over-reacting," she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled herself up to look him in the eye, "it would take a lot more than a hit in the head to hurt me. Besides, it wasn't your hollow." She told him, sternly. "Even if you will have to battle it again and again to defeat it, remember, I'll be right by your side, no matter what." She kissed him the lips, "now stop apologizing and go to sleep, you look stressed." He smiled lightly and nodded in gratitude.

"Good night, midget."

"Good night, moron."

* * *

**A/N**

_I don't get one thing, you know? I sit around in the house today (because I'm feelin' lazy… and laziness rules.) without anything to do. I have a __**whole day **__to write some chapters, and edit my work. But I don't (laziness!). But why? WHY is it that I feel the need to get up at __**3:00am **__to write a new chapter?_

_Does this happen to anybody else?_


	5. Control

**Disclaimer: **I do not own BLEACH.

**Fallen**

**Chapter V**

Control

* * *

"We got mail!" A resounding shout was heard from the front door. A much older Jinta walked casually into the kitchen/living room, waving a thin envelope in the air.

"Hm?" Urahara looked up from his research and set the cup he was holding onto the low table. "Mail? Is it another bill?" He raised an eyebrow when Jinta shook his head.

"It says nothing, just a white envelope." He threw it at the shopkeeper nonchalantly who in turn grumbled something about it being too early in the morning. The sandy-blonde man opened the envelope and pulled out a blank page. Turning it around, he saw nothing on the other side either. _'Reishi paper?' _He raised a brow and gathered a small amount of reiastu into his fingertip and tapped it into the hidden document. As he suspected, a few words appeared on the page. Nodding to himself, he slid the paper back into the envelope and set it aside.

"What did it say?"

Yoruichi, in her human form, stepped in with a hot mug of coffee. She only wore the black under top that came to mid thigh and slippers. It seemed that she just got up from bed. Urahara responded, "I decided to show it to everyone, once they wake up. I have a feeling it has something to do with Ichigo-san." He grinned. "By the way, what time is it?"

"Quarter to seven." He sighed and took a sip the cooling coffee, "what time did you get up?" She asked.

"Somewhere around five thirty." He smiled tiredly, bringing a hand to his slightly stubbly cheek.

"I don't why you do that, Kisuke, it's highly unlike you." She sighed in annoyance and walked behind him to massage his shoulders. "And you know how much I don't like waking to an empty bed." She smirked. The man grinned in response and was going to say something when a smug voice called out from the other side of the room.

"I knew you two had something going on." Renji smirked.

"Abarai-kun, up so early?" Urahara waved. Renji nodded and went to the kitchen to make him some coffee. The other two remained in the same position as before until Yoruichi got up. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"To get some breakfast, I'm starving." She replied and elegantly walked to the kitchen. Urahara turned back to the research he had been going through, his eyebrow furrowing slightly when he read through it again. A sigh of slight disappointment came from him when he found nothing new. "Maybe I should look through documents in Seireitei…" He pondered. During his time as a captain, he had saved part of his researches in the twelfth and coded it so no one could gain access to them. The rest had gone to Kurotsuchi and he was quite confident that even he couldn't unlock the files. Although he doubted that there would be anything useful in them._ 'I could always try…' _He contemplated.

In a room on the other side of the building, the couple started waking up. Rukia managed to free herself form the black abyss of sleep before Ichigo, who was still snoozing. His arm was securely wrapped around her waist like steel, making it a problem to get up. Rukia sighed sleepily and debated whether to try to get out or go back to sleep. She quite comfortable staying like this for the rest of the day really, cuddled up to his warm body. _'I shouldn't waste a day like this…' _Her more sensible side argued. With another sigh, she attempted to lift his arm from her body. His arm wouldn't budge. "Ichigo." She groaned, rolling her eyes, "are you made from steel or what?" She asked the sleeping man. Moments later, he started stirring.

"G' Mornin'…" He drawled, open eyes lazily flickering to hers.

"Good morning." She smiled. He leaned in catch her lips in a sweet but lasting kiss.

"We should get up now." He nodded tiredly and sat up. Rukia hopped up and put on the white robe that Yoruichi left them. She grabbed his and threw at him, while she went to wash herself up. Ichigo dizzily stood up and stumbled when putting on the robe. His lifted to his face to rub all the sleep from his face. _'I still feel tired… why did they have to give me three pills?' _He groaned and his hand ran through his messy hair. Rukia entered the room shortly after, her face slightly creasing with worry although she tried to hide it.

"How are you feeling?" She questioned as she stepped over to him. "You're still tired aren't you?" She said with a small smirk. He grunted in annoyance.

"I still feel like shit." He joked and stretched his arms with a yawn. His voice was still slightly gritty.

"Suck it up." She chuckled, bringing her arms around his neck, "a good up of coffee will do the magic." She pecked him on the lips. "No go wash yourself up. Your face is a bit rough." She tapped his cheeks. Ichigo rolled his eyes but complied anyway.

"Okay, mother." He said and yelped when she pinched him. "Ow…" He groaned as he left the room, "midget." He grumbled. He could feel her glaring at the back of his head.

Ten minutes later, Ichigo came into the room freshened up and saw that Rukia was waiting for him. "You didn't have to wait." He said as he put his towel away and the robe back on.

"I know," she smirked, "I had to make sure you wouldn't trip and kill yourself." She chuckled and he sent her a glare. "Come on." She grabbed his arm and led him out to the hallway. The two bickered as they stepped into the kitchen where Urahara, Yoruichi and Renji were sitting.

"Ohayo." Ichigo greeted.

"Kurosaki-san!" Urahara beamed, "I see you had woken up during the night." Ichigo nodded and sat down with Rukia. "Did you sleep well?" He grinned. Ururu bought them their needed coffee on a tray. They nodded their thanks and turned to the hyper shopkeeper.

"Yeah, you seriously knocked me out with those pills. Completely unnecessary." Ichigo grumbled, taking a large gulp of the hot liquid. "Have you got anything?" Rukia asked. "Any clues to what's happening with Ichigo?" She inquired, looking him straight in the eyes. Urahara shook his head.

"I need more time to look it up. Yoruichi agreed to snoop around in Seireitei to find any documents that could potentially help." He explained. The occupants of the room pondered on this piece of information for short moment. "Also! I have a letter!" Urahara beamed.

Ichigo's brows lifted, "what can a letter help? Are you sure it isn't another bill?" Urahara's grin faltered for a second but came back just as quick.

"Iie!" He cheered. "But I do feel it might be some help!" Yoruichi sighed at his stupidity and whacked in the head. Urahara's mood darkened.

"It's a type of paper where you have to use a small amount of reiastu to reveal what's written on it." Yoruichi told them, "your name and Urahara's name was printed on it."

"Why would my name come under this address?" Urahara shrugged, not caring for the small detail.

"If you wish, I can uncover what the paper says, since you might burn the whole thing down with all your reiastu."

"Hey! I had training with controlling my reiatsu!" Ichigo objected. He glared at the shop owner and snatched the page from his hands.

"Ichigo!" Rukia scolded, like a mother to a child. "We can't take risks. If you burn that down, then we might not be able- why are you so pale?" She stopped, and bought a hand to his forehead which he gently slapped away. "Are you feeling alright?"

Yoruichi and Urahara looked at each other. Renji sat silent through the whole thing, not knowing what he should say in Rukia's presence. He still felt a bit awkward from the day before.

Suddenly, Urahara caught a swift movement from Ichigo.

"Restrain him!" A loud roar ripped itself from Ichigo's throat as he leapt into the air. In seconds, Yoruichi and Renji were holding him down while Urahara quickly walked to another room.

"Rukia, stay away from him!" Yoruichi ordered just as the young shinigami was coming closer to the thrashing man. Ichigo tried to wrestle his way out from the two offenders, who were becoming slightly alarmed at his strength. Renji grunted as a fist collided in the face spot that Rukia hit him. "Kisuke!" The young woman called. The blonde ran into the room with a syringe and nodded.

"Keep him still." He ordered and knelt down beside him. His arm quickly moved and the needle lodged itself in the thrashing shinigami's arm. Soon, the orange-haired shinigami fell limp and they slowly lowered him onto the floor. Rukia immediately rushed to where he was lying, only to be stopped by Yoruichi's arm. "Don't go near him." She commanded and Rukia felt the deadly chill from her. Urahara silently performed a kido and Ichigo's arms and legs became restrained.

"Do you think that would be strong enough?"

Urahara hid his face behind the fan and his hat shadowed his eyes, "this," he held up the empty needle, "should keep him unconscious for a while, it wasn't that strong though, since we gave him the pills before-"

"Are you just going to keep him on satiated on medicine?!" Rukia angrily asked. "We should be figuring how to get rid of whatever is happening to him not just keep him knocked out." She had enough of the fact that people either put him in cells or on drugs all the time.

"Sorry, Kuchiki-san." Urahara seemed to be a bit moved by the situation too. Renji cleared his throat.

"So should we take him back to Soul Society or what?" He asked.

"We'll see when he wakes up." Rukia answered. "There's the case of that letter too." She said, Yoruichi agreed. Urahara sighed and looked deep in thought. "The medics in Soul Society said it was venom that entered his body…" He trailed off; Yoruichi glanced at him in annoyance but turned her head to Rukia.

"Stay away from him for the time being…at least until he wakes up, got it?" She told her, Rukia was about the object when a crash was heard from the kitchen. Renji walked out while scratching the back of his head. "Heh, sorry. I was making a snack…" And that was all he said before running back under Yoruichi's look.

* * *

_You're a killer. It is your nature._

His friends.

His family.

_Do not fight against what you are._

His fiancée.

_Or, rather, what you have become._

They are all dying and their screams were the proof of what was taking place in their bodies. At his foot was the form of a once beautiful woman, her face massacred and her body torn. He shakily bent down. His bloodied hand touched her face, wiping the drops of blood.

"Rukia." He croaked. His eyes scanned the room. All of his friends. His father and sister screaming for any escape from their hell.

_Dying._

_Because of him._

A blood-curling scream ripped from Yuzu's throat.

_I'm a monster._

* * *

"NO!" Ichigo shot up, gasping. Cold sweat matted his bags to his forehead and his shoulders shook.

"Ichigo!"

"Rukia don't!"

_That feeling._

His eyes widened so much it hurt.

_The desire._

His eyes screw themselves shut and his hands suddenly gripped his head harshly. _'Make it go away…'_

_The lust._

"Kuchiki-san, don't come near him!"

_For her blood._

"_**ARRRGH**__!"_

"Bakudo number thirty! Shitotsu Sansen!" Three beams of light that pinned Ichigo to the hard floor, slamming into his robes to keep him in place. Rukia, now in shinigami form, made sure that they didn't hit his body. He was immobilized before he caused more destruction. The bright yellow triangle disappeared.

Urahara, Yoruichi and Renji were surprised at the sudden move but prepared themselves in case Ichigo broke out again. He became more aggressive with each passing minute.

"Control yourself, Ichigo!" The raven-haired shinigami yelled and without a second thought, she dismissed Yoruichi's and Urahara's warnings and walked right up to Ichigo. "Ichigo! Get a hold of yourself." An echoing slap was heard throughout the room and Ichigo's head was snapped violently to the side, he growled like an animal. "Have you forgotten what I told you last night?!" She asked in her strong, unwavering voice. "Ichigo!" She barked, her fists clenching into his robe. Her knee pressed hard into his stomach, causing him to groan. "Control it!" After a few moments, he stopped trying wrestling his way out of the kido. His haggard pants were the only sounds in the room.

"Open your eyes, Ichigo."

She wasn't sure if he was back to normal but he complied anyway. When his eyelids snapped open, she let out a gasp. She didn't look into the warm brown like she wanted to but instead her anxious eyes met with terrorizing golden-yellow liquid eyes. She let out a shaky breath and slowly put a hand to his face. She didn't feel the warm tan skin like she wanted to. Instead, her hand came into contact with ice-cold skin, hard as iron or steel. He gave her another snarl, his gleaming eyes surveying her.

"Ichigo, wake up." He rumbled loudly and then hissed at her. She glared back fiercely. "Don't let it control you! Battle it like you battled your hollow!" She hit him in the head again, only causing him to roar at her and bare his teeth.

Her eyes widened. Dangerous looking, razor sharp fangs protruded from his mouth, glinting in the light. "U-Urahara? What is the meaning of this?" She asked, her eyes never leaving the pristine white teeth as his mouth hissed at her and his eyes flickering towards the other occupants of the room.

Urahara looked shocked as did everyone. He cleared his throat to say something and a cold scream interrupted the silence. Ichigo started fidgeting around and his movements became violent twitches.

"Grrr…" A long low growl drawled out from his nearly closed lips. "GARRRH!" He shouted. His arms broke the bindings and Rukia was thrown into the air aggressively. She landed harshly on the floor and cursed, she should have expected that. "Rukia!" Renji called and she waved her hand.

"I'm fine." She said.

"ARGH!" His body was rolling itself on the floor and he clawed at the wooden surface, he gritted his teeth.

"We need to stop before he hurts himself." Yoruichi stated and was about take hold of the man but was stopped by the blonde.

"Wait." He said, his eyes fixed on Ichigo, who seemed to be debating something with himself.

'_Control yourself, Ichigo! Open your eyes…'_

'_Don't let it take over you.'_

'_Fight it!'_

'_Wake the _hell_ up, dammit.'_

"DAMN IT!" He furiously shouted and for once communicated like a human. He punched the floor, leaving a crack in it and splinters in his knuckles. After what seemed like endless hours, he became still and his breath ragged. "What the… hell… was… that?" He took in deep breaths and shifted his body so that he was sitting up.

"Are you feeling alright?"

He nodded at Yoruichi and lifted a hand to show he was okay. "Did I… hurt anyone?" He asked slowly, surveying the room and its inhabitants for any damage he might have caused.

"Everyone's fine, you idiot." Rukia said. "Are you sure _you're_ feeling alright?" She asked and knelt beside him. He noticed her attire almost a second later.

"I'm just a bit dizzy but why are you in shinigami form?" He asked, pointed at her clothes. She smiled lightly and shrugged.

"You were thrashing about so wildly that we have to bind you, but course you had to break it…" Ichigo's anxious expression dropped and lifted to a playful one. The tense atmosphere in the room had dropped in moments.

"Don't I always?" He grinned and the other three snickered at the unintentional innuendo.

"What?!" Ichigo snapped.

"Oh nothing, nothing." Renji smirked, backing away a little with hands held up.

"Whatever." Ichigo waved them off. He then stopped in the middle of his movements and slowly put his hand down. "Guys…" He started, "I'm sorry, I-"

"Ichigo!" Yoruichi snapped, intercepting what he was going to say. "It wasn't your fault and didn't you hurt anyone," she omitted the detail that he threw Rukia, "we're here to help you, _boy_."

"Thanks and I'm not a _boy_."

"I'll keep calling you a _boy_ until you suck it up and stop apologizing for what isn't your fault." Glare vs. Glare. Rukia smirked and nodded in instant agreement.

She punched his shoulder playfully, "I know you like to be all _polite_," Rukia said sarcastically, knowing he usually just didn't give a damn. "But you shouldn't burden yourself with something you had no control over." She said, flicking his head. He made a face at her.

"Thank you, midget." He grunted when her fist collided with his jaw.

"What's with you punching everyone?" Renji smirked but it dropped the second her eyes narrowed at his.

"What was that, Renji?" He held his hands in defence. A dark aura radiated from Rukia.

"What? I didn't say anything." He nervously stepped back again. Rukia narrowed her eyes at him and nodded.

* * *

The following morning, the couple was free to come home and Ichigo was particularly eager to leave the cursed shoten.

"I'm surprised that there hasn't been any hollows recently…" Trailed of Rukia as she clicked away on the spirit phone. The latest signal recorded on the device was a fair amount of time ago, which was odd since hollow sighting was not a rare situation. She continued to report to Ichigo on the discoveries she made via her phone.

"Paperwork, hollows, duty…." Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Rukia, can't you just _relax_ for a while?" At this, Rukia stopped and put her hands on her hips, Ichigo groaned inwardly knowing that she was going into her _Discipline and Lecture Ichigo _mode.

"Ichigo," she started but he cut her off before she couldn't be stopped. She was a few steps behind him so he turned to face her,

"Seriously, Rukia." He sighed exasperatingly, "We're on vacation not on strict duty during a war. You're so riled up and distracted lately…" He said and took a step toward her. As she sighed, he took her hand in his and gently tugged to keep on walking.

"I know." She bit her lip in slight annoyance at herself. "So much has happened lately and…" Before she went on, warm lips silenced hers. Ichigo smiled and shook his head.

"Worrywart, everything that happens concerns you, I'm going to be fine with Urahara's help, and he has a solution for everything." He said as they neared the Kurosaki Residence. Rukia became more at ease as they walked hand-in-hand. They stepped up to the gates, pushed them open and walked to the house.

"ICHIGO! RUKIA-CHAN! YOU HAVE FINALLY COME HOME TO DADDY!"

Isshin's body launched itself out of the window. Vein pulsing dangerously, Ichigo pulled Rukia out of the way and stomped to the kitchen.

"Onii-chan!" Yuzu cried. "Where have you two been?!" She asked as she hopped from the kitchen to hug Ichigo and Rukia.

"Yuzu," the big brother ruffled his sister's head, "we were only out for a day and a bit." He said.

"You know I always get worried!" Ichigo chuckled. Karin remained unfazed like she always was and went back watching T.V.

"Old man nearly had a heart-attack when he assaulted an empty bed." The other twin said nonchalantly while she flicked through the channels.

"I would imagine."

"Well!" Yuzu chirped. "You came in time for breakfast!" The twenty-three year old skipped to the kitchen and soon delicious food aromas wafted through the house. Karin went upstairs to change from her pyjamas and Ichigo quickly took the opportunity to claim the couch with Rukia. The kitchen became busy and Ichigo and Rukia relaxed to the familiar routine of the Kurosaki house. Rukia snuggled up to Ichigo as he flipped through the channels lazily.

"MY SON DOESN'T LOVE HIS PAPA ANYMORE!"

Rukia started snickering next to Ichigo. Her fiancé's eye twitched dangerously and the hand clenched tightly against the remote, threatening to snap it. When his father was within close proximity, his leg lashed out and implanted itself in Isshin's face. The older man was sent to the opposite direction, at the same time switching on his water-works. The body slumped dramatically against the wall.

"I'm going to kill him one day…" Ichigo growled. Rukia laughed and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"I'm quite surprised that you haven't already." Her eyes danced with amusement.

"So am I." He muttered. His arm weaved its way around her waist and pulled her even closer.

"So," he started, "what do you want to do today?" He asked before breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo.

"Hm." She answered as she watched the television glow with various colours, "maybe we should meet up with the rest." She turned to face him and was met with a slightly worried expression.

"Don't concern yourself, Ichigo. Nothing will happen." She scolded lightly but with a comforting undertone in her voice. He nodded.

* * *

"Have you read it?" A woman's voice asked throughout the kitchen. She walked over to the man slouched over a paper and put a hot mug of coffee in front of him. Urahara sighed and scratched the back of his head lazily.

"Well," Urahara drawled breezily, "I was really, really, really curious, hehe." He laughed awkwardly. Yoruichi gave a disapproving look before shaking her head and smirking.

"Idiot."

* * *

**A/N**

_HEY, YOU! YEAH, YOU RIGHT THERE! REVIEW! NAO!_


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